A Surprising Visit
by CaptainS10
Summary: Sweet little oneshot that takes place not too long after the events of book two. Artemis drops in to visit his father at the hospital in Helsinki and finds somebody else waiting for him with the same idea.


**Boop. Just a sweet little fluffy-ish oneshot I found in my drive. Not quite A/H, with the setting and all, but a nice little convo between them. They need more nice moments together in the series, and really, I think this should have happened at some point...**

"Father, I'm here," Artemis announced, walking into the door of his father's hospital room and then immediately stopping in his tracks.

He was coming in to visit, fresh out of school for the day, as per his promise the weekend before. He was still wearing his school uniform - although one would be hard-pressed to tell, as the suit and tie the school provided weren't that much different from how he normally dressed except in quality. It was only slightly more casual than his normal attire. His long, thick raven hair had originally been slicked back, but pieces had broke loose and now it was moderately loose and free, dangling rather messily around his face and his ears.

One hand still on the doorframe, he stood frozen now, unbelieving as to what he was seeing. Finally, after a long silence and some extended staring, he recovered, and strode into the room to stand beside his father.

The man was sitting up in bed, wrapped in his blankets, and quite awake. He smiled at his son, clasping his hand as he moved up beside him and patting it. "Artemis, my boy. It's good to see you."

"Yes, and you," Artemis replied, never taking his eyes off the person across the bed from him, who was staring at him in a similar fashion, but more cockily, and with a wicked, smug grin on her face. "Who's your friend, if you don't mind me asking?"

Artemis Senior shrugged. "I can't say I really know her that well. From what I hear, however, and what I've seen with my own eyes just now, it's quite obvious that you do. So why don't you introduce us, son?"

Artemis nodded and finally looked down at his father once, squeezing his hand, and then looking back up at the woman across the bed. He inhaled deeply, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, then shook his head and recovered quickly. "Father, this is Captain Short," he said with quiet finality. "Captain Short, my father - Artemis Fowl."

"The First," added Artemis Senior. "Artemis Fowl the First."

"I know," Holly Short assured, squeezing the older man's shoulder tenderly. Artemis raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by this display of affection. She looked up and frowned at him. "Why are you giving me that cocky look, Fowl? Just because your father is here doesn't mean I won't punch it clean off your face." She crossed her arms over her chest and grumbled, "Again."

Artemis's eyebrow inched up even more. "I doubt it," he replied with his usual amount of coolness. "Now, if you'd kindly tell me why you're here... I can't assume the People are in need of my help again so soon?"

Holly rolled her eyes. "No. Don't be stupid. All our convicts are locked up tight now. I'm here... for him."

"Me?" Artemis Senior questioned. "Obviously, I'm missing something here. How is it you know my son again? And why would you come to see me when we don't know each other?"

Artemis's face suddenly looked paler than usual as it registered exactly why she'd come to see his father. "You're here to see if what I said is true," he said, with startling quiet. He felt shamefaced with all of it laid out plainly in front of his father, knowing it would come out now any way it went.

Holly saw the worry, pain, and remorse flicker across his face and sighed. "I had to check, Mud Boy, you know that. I couldn't leave my People with such a large risk and no answer to it. Especially not on the word of Public Enemy Number One." She raised an eyebrow as her gaze flicked over him. "Aka you."

Artemis closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them his steely expression was firmly back in place. "Of course. I understand. However, were your methods really wise? And," he paused, a hint of one of his signature vampire smirks turning up his lips, "Does your Commander know about this little trip, Holly?"

Holly's face flushed red, but with anger or embarrassment was unclear. Before she could answer, however, Fowl Senior interjected, obviously not enjoying being ignored in his own hospital room. "Son," he inquired quietly, and Artemis immediately dropped his gaze to him, not daring ignore him when he could sense the storm looming. "Is that true, what Miss Short said? You've made yourself a Public Enemy to a whole group of people? The most dangerous Public Enemy?"

Artemis swallowed around the knot he could suddenly feeling sticking in his throat. "Yes Father," he replied with a quiet sigh.

Fowl Senior's voice was a few octaves higher than normal now when he spoke, but on the same note it was also carefully controlled, masking his emotions. Holly had a feeling that was were Artemis had learned it from. "How did you manage that?"

"Well... Ahem.." Artemis cleared his throat as he attempted to think of a suitable way to answer. Holly rolled her eyes and answered before he could.

"He kidnapped me," she said, matter-of-factly. Artemis's eyes snapped up to her, and his lips parted slightly in an expression of shock. She raised an eyebrow, mirroring the look he'd given her a few minutes before, and continued without pausing. "He took me hostage and used me against my own people for gold, and then proceeded to cause much damage." Holly hesitated, and her voice dropped a few octaves as she continued. "To all of us."

Artemis Senior's brow furrowed deeply. He looked up at Artemis, who had regained control of his face and was now staring at Holly with a hardened expression, and sighed. "That... Artemis..." He stopped, looking conflicted. "Why?" he finally asked.

Holly looked up at him, curious to hear the answer herself. Of course, she knew the short answer was gold, but what had he wanted the gold for?

Artemis closed his eyes, not answering for a long moment. Clearly, he was debating whether to give them both an honest answer. Then, after a few silent minutes, he finally answered.

"For you, Father." He sighed, rubbing his temples and still not opening his eyes. "I...I was out of funds to search for you, and I was desperate." He opened his eyes and straightened, looking first at Holly, who had went still and silent, then down at his father. "Mother was mentally deteriorating and she managed to spend quite a lot of money before she became bedridden. I was left with very few options to make up the funds for the expedition that she spent, and… it was the opportunity that arose."

Artemis Senior was silent, contemplating his shame-faced son with a thoughtful expression. "Well, son," he began at last, "Im not going to tell you that I agree with your actions one bit. But, I do understand why you did it. The only thing I will say…" He looked at Holly. "...is that it won't be happening again. I can assure you of that."

Holly just nodded. This news was shocking, but not entirely unwelcome. To find out that the Mud Boy had had a legitimate reason for kidnapping her, let alone one that was driven by an emotion such as love… well, it softened her feelings towards him slightly. _Slightly_.

The teen still hadn't looked at her. He was staring firmly out the open window behind her when he spoke. "Are you satisfied now?"

Her eyes snapped to him again. "Yes, I suppose so. I...can see there's no danger here anymore." She spoke softly, and picked her words carefully. She was indicating him in her words, too, and they both knew it.

The boy just nodded. "Just wipe him and go, Holly." He settled into one of the hospital chairs, going back to staring out the window moodily.

Artemis Senior was not paying much attention to his son's foul mood. "Wipe me?" he asked, looking at Holly curiously.

"Yes. I have to wipe your memory of this. You're not supposed to know about us, you see, but I had to know if you were a threat to us or not." She sighed, looking back at the teen in the corner of the room guiltily. "But obviously it's not an issue."

"It won't be," Fowl Senior promised. "And as for the wipe, do what you have to. It won't hurt, will it?"

"Nope. In fact, when I put this on-" she pulled the mask out of her bag and held it up, "-you'll fall asleep. You won't feel a thing."

"Alright." He sat up. "Well, it was nice meeting you."

"You too." She patted his leg, smiling kindly at him as she slipped the mask over his eyes. Instantly, the human was unconscious.

She set the machine and pressed the button, watching the Gnommish symbols flit across the screen for a second before turning to the younger Artemis with her hands on her hips. He was still not paying any attention to her. "Artemis-" she started, but he waved her away.

"Don't bother, Holly. I'm not upset with you, and honestly, if I'm surprised at anything it's that I didn't expect this. I certainly deserve it." He shook his head, his ebony hair framing his pale face and falling slightly into his eyes. He was in desperate need of a haircut, but he seemed used to it by now, brushing it absently from his eyes as he turned to look at her.

Holly sighed. "Look, Artemis...about the ransom...I didn't know."

"You weren't supposed to."

"Plans don't always translate smoothly from paper to reality," she reminded him.

The teen smiled a little when she repeated his own words at him. "No, they don't," he agreed with a sigh. The urge to apologize again rose in his throat - surprising, being as how hard it was the first time - but he quashed it, looking down.

It still didn't escape Holly's notice. She felt a rush of affection for the human boy suddenly, followed by a hint of pity, surprising even herself. "Well," she said suddenly, trying to keep the silence from settling over them too awkwardly, "I should go."

"Yes, I imagine Root is going crazy looking for you by now," Artemis murmured. He looked up at her and swallowed thickly, unable to quash the urge anymore. "I'm sorry, Holly. For… everything, but especially making you feel as though you had to come check."

"Don't be." She returned to Fowl Senior, taking the mask off his eyes and sliding it back in her bag. "I think it was important that I come. Besides, I think we have a better understanding of each other now than we did before." She offered the boy a small smile.

He smiled back, weakly, and she squeezed his shoulder, just as she had his father's a few minutes before, before sliding on her wings and climbing on to the windowsill. "Behave yourself, Mud Boy. And don't make me come back again."

Artemis looked down as she shimmered out of visibility. "Don't worry," he muttered to himself, when he thought she was gone. "I'll never _make_ you do anything again."

And he settled back to wait for his father to wake up.


End file.
